I Can't Make You A Memory
by xcelestia
Summary: Stuck in the pains of her past, Elizabeth grows up obediently following her mother's every command. While her mother longs to create the perfect daughter, Elizabeth's heart craves freedom from her shadows. When the Celestial Realm is invaded by demons, however, she is taken prisoner by Meliodas, and Elizabeth's delicate, perfect upbringing slowly begins to fall apart.
1. Somnus

Chapter One: Somnus

* * *

It was still night when Elizabeth woke with a sudden fright, sitting up in her bed gasping for air. She quickly looked around her room to scan for any abnormalities, and it was only when she felt that she was alone did her breathing finally even out. She was drenched in sweat, her hair sticking to her forehead and along the skin of her back and her nightdress feeling much too heavy on her. It was, for the most part, quiet in both her room and the world outside. The only sound she hears are the clicks from a small, but beautifully crafted, pendulum clock hanging off her wall. She doesn't know how long it had been since she had awoken, just that it had been a while as she remembers having heard said clock _ticking_ and _tocking_ for what felt like ages. It almost began to feel like torture. So, Elizabeth releases a breath that she didn't realize she was holding in and slides her legs off the side of the bed. It was a quarter past four in the morning.

She takes a moment and finally stands, walking over to the large, glass double doors in her room that lead to a small balcony outside. She had her hands at the handles, ready to close the doors but found that a mischievous, light breeze taunted her when she felt it hit her face. Elizabeth couldn't help the small smile that lifted at the corner of her lips and decided that a quick minute outside probably wouldn't do any harm.

There was a small bench on her balcony near the edge of the rails that she was rather fond of. She sat there many a times to enjoy the sunrise, sunset, the occasional cup of tea, and a chat with a friend every now and then. She decides against sitting for this brief moment, however, and closes her eyes when she feels the wind kiss her face.

Most nights are like this. She wakes from night terrors occasionally, usually arising from her fears and her failures. She tries not to let her mind dwell on her nightmares, though. So just as quickly as the memory of it arises, she lets it leave with the gentle breeze that so playfully enticed her before and she returns to her room, closing the doors behind her. Elizabeth begins to sort through her closet until she finds a robe that she quickly slips on so that she could walk through the palace with decency. She will not be able to go back to sleep for a while, so she strolls through the palace, wandering around from hallway to hallway until she reaches a library as grand as the palace itself.

It is here where she often loses herself and escapes her life. In daydreams and fantasies, Elizabeth reads until she can't anymore by either falling asleep or reading so late into the morning that her duties awaited her. This is how she learns of the world, her only source of life in a sense. She reads of other races and their lifestyles. When she's feeling rather whimsical, she'll read a romance or two because _what lady does not dream of a spellbinding romance?_ She thinks to herself as she picks up a novel in said genre.

She doesn't recognize when another arrives in the library some time later until she hears the graceful, enchanting voice.

"My dear daughter, you've awakened so early today." Elizabeth looks up to see her mother gently smiling at her with warm eyes. Her mother, the Supreme Deity herself, looked just as beautiful as one would think she would. Long, flowing curls adorned her heart shaped face. Her eyes as blue as her own and her lips red as the spider lilies I've seen in textbooks. A long, golden dress hugged tightly to her curves until past the waistline where it flared until it reached the floor. And, of course, her beautiful ten wings that graced her back. The status of her power.

Once upon a time, Elizabeth had looked up to her mother and had desired to become a powerful presence like her in the world. Elizabeth smiled back at her mother, "Sleep escaped me tonight, mother. Good morning."

Her mother had crossed the library to the sit by her on the soft sofa. She turned towards her daughter and cupped Elizabeth's face firmly between her hands, "Sweet daughter of mine, that bad habit of yours is something that we should address," There was worry planted in her eyes, Elizabeth could tell, but whether her mother worried about her daughter's health or her future endeavors being interrupted remained a mystery for the time being. Elizabeth kept her worries to herself and smiled, looking away from her mother as if she were afraid that she could read into her very soul through her eyes.

"I was eager to finish a book, mother. That's all." Elizabeth felt her body tense when her mother turned her head back to meet her eyes. Her mother smiled but Elizabeth noticed that it didn't reach her eyes. "I hope it does not continue. We have your future to think about. A young lady should not lose sleep over silly things like this."

Elizabeth swallowed, "Mother," A finger to her lips interrupted any further protest from Elizabeth. "My daughter, you nearly reach maturity. You will soon take a suitor, he will not fancy these habits of yours."

Just like that, Elizabeth's will shattered and she lost motivation to continue her thoughts. "Of course, mother." Her mother's smile widened, and she planted a kiss to Elizabeth's cheek. "What a thoughtful daughter I have. Now, let's begin your morning duties."

With as much strength as she can muster, Elizabeth forces a smile and nods.

* * *

As one would figure, the duties of a princess never really end, and her mother had made sure to keep her busy these days. She tries not to dwell on it, tries not to think of how perfectly laid out her life is. During her tutoring lessons, she daydreams of flying with fairies much to her tutor's dismay and she promises she'll pay better attention. She ends up frequently apologizing throughout the lesson anyway as she can't help her wandering mind.

After morning lessons, Elizabeth has lunch with her mother and a few others to discuss the state of the world and the probability of going to war with the Demon Clan.

"I heard those _rats_ have created a group of elite warriors with the Demon King's very own son leading them."

"They wouldn't dare start conflict."

"Your majesty, we should—"

Elizabeth had started tuning the conversation out. There was a time when she used to listen keenly to these talks and times when she would even voice her concerns to her mother. She was swiftly reprimanded for those acts—

_Cold eyes settled on Elizabeth, "Sweet Elizabeth," her mother's voice purred as she hovered above Elizabeth on the bed. Elizabeth sobbingly begged her mother to stop, she cried apologies for speaking out when she didn't know any better. She felt burning, searing pain across her arm and legs, and a warmth tricking slowly down her limbs. "Forgiveness is earned, my child, as you shall learn." _

—"Elizabeth," she quickly turned her head up in attention to her name. One of the higher-ranking goddesses sitting at the table had called out to her. Ludociel, as he was called, had sought her opinion over the matter in regard to the probability of going to war against those of the Demon Clan. Ludociel was shrewd and evil, his question an obvious taunt.

Elizabeth gave him a quick smile, "I cannot say, Ludociel. However, I feel relieved in knowing my mother's righteousness will always persevere whatever the case. All who know her should rejoice in her will." Elizabeth had chosen the right words because her mother had given her one of the proudest grins that she had ever seen.

Following the lunch meeting, Elizabeth and her mother walked around their sanctuary with arms linked around each other, occasionally waving to groups of goddesses whose eyes sparkle with joy at seeing their queen and princess. "I have been thinking, sweet Elizabeth," My mother started, "I feel the world is so deprived of such a beautiful and bright woman. I feel sorrow that the world will never have the joy of laying their pitiful eyes on you."

Elizabeth looked to the ground and smiled, "All I wish for mother is your happiness and the prosperity of our people." Her response earned her a gentle pat on her head from her mother, "I raised you well." When Elizabeth said the right things, her mother became overjoyed and praised her, often saying things like that. "Despite having to weed out a few bad quirks and habits of yours, you have grown to be nearly perfect, dear. All that I do, Elizabeth, is for you." Those were the final words of the day. The afternoon sun had begun to set on the world and with it, Elizabeth's ease.

* * *

She's back in her room now, the clock on her wall chiming that the night had come. She laid in bed, as she usually does, and stares at her ceiling and just waits for sleep to consume her. More often than not, however, she lingers in her thoughts until her mind is so exhausted that sleep comes.

Elizabeth doesn't remember when she had grown to hate the night. Once upon a time, as a child, she remembers that she had loved the evening. She remembers her father fondly and remembers him reading her a book to bed, or watching the moon rise in the night sky and counting the stars in the world until she fell asleep and her father carried her back to bed. She remembers her mother being kind. She's often lost in this ocean of memories from her childhood, from a happier time in her life that she wishes she could relive for a brief moment.

This is how she usually spends her nights and why she couldn't stand to live through them. Despite appearances showing otherwise, Elizabeth feels trapped in a seemingly perfect world. Despite trying her best, she realizes it would never be enough to distract her from the heavy reality that glooms over her shoulders. The world, Elizabeth had learned, was not as kind as it was in the novels she would often escape to.

Her father had died nearly eight years ago, and Elizabeth could say that her mother probably did, too, around the same time. Lost in her grief, her mother mourned the death of her love to the point of rage. Gone was the kind and gentle soul sang quiet lullabies and lovingly braided her daughter's hair. Only in appearance did Elizabeth's mother remain true to the figure in her memories.

It hadn't been obvious to the world, but her mother had drastically changed. In appearance only, she was virtuous and benevolent to her disciples and her people. She was worshipped by all who are graced by her holy presence.

It was different for Elizabeth, though. The first time her mother had laid her hands on Elizabeth was for running around the halls as a child and accidentally bumping into an important guest of her mother's. That had earned Elizabeth a bright pink spot on her cheek from the slap her mother had given her later that night. The shock ran so deep through her that moment that she hardly registered the pain.

"_You will learn to not to bring shame to me." _

From there on, any time Elizabeth had acted out, the punishments had gotten worse. Her mother written them off as _conditioning_— all in the name to raise the perfect daughter in her eyes. It was shameful for Elizabeth to say that it had worked.

The last time Elizabeth had acted out some time ago, she had spoken out of line during one of their lunch excursions. Later that night, her mother had come into her room with a frown on her face and dark, icy eyes. The fear that she had felt then was so _real_. Elizabeth had quickly apologized and begged for forgiveness. Despite her desperate attempts, her mother had grabbed a letter opener on the edge of her dresser and made her way to her distressed daughter.

And the rest was something she never liked to relive even in memory, so she closed her watery eyes and turned to her side, begging _Somnus _to take her despite knowing her memory would continue in her dreams.

She's jerked awake by hand, a voice urging her out bed. "My lady, please awaken! We must go!" Elizabeth lazily opens her eyes as she's pulled up by one of the maids.

"Yue? What's going—" She hears a loud explosion outside and she swiftly turns her head in the direction of the noise.

"Wha—" Her glass doors suddenly shatter and both girls scream as they take cover, Yue shielding Elizabeth from any flying shards. Before she could react any further and ask if she was alright, she's suddenly pulled upright by Yue and they start running out of her room into the hall. There are more sounds of explosions outside, along with voices screaming in the night. She sees servants and maids panicking and running through the hallways, soldiers flying in another direction towards the many different noises.

Panic surges through Elizabeth's body as she runs along with Yue and she feels her breath escaping her too easily from realization that _they _are under attack.

"Her majesty is fighting them off along with the soldiers," Yue calls back to Elizabeth, confirming her suspicions. "The Demon Clan has come."

Elizabeth cannot help the wave of fear that crashes into her, the overwhelming feeling enough to draw out a cry from her. A sick, nauseating feeling builds in her stomach and the urge to vomit is enough for her to suddenly snatch her wrist from Yue and stop for the moment. Her knees buckle and she falls to the floor, her hand on her mouth.

Yue falters in her run and turns back to Elizabeth. She crouches down next to her, placing a hand on her back to try and soothe her, "My lady, I know this is overwhelming but _please_ get up! I am to get you to safety!" She looks at Yue and takes a deep breath in through her nose and exhales.

As Elizabeth tries to stand back up on her wobbly legs with help from Yue, the walls of the hallway suddenly explode, debris flying in every direction and the force of the explosion knocking both Yue and Elizabeth to the other wall, having her breath knocked out of her from the collision.

Before Elizabeth had time to react, she heard a wail from the girl beside her. She averts her eyes to her direction, and they widen in horror. As the dust settled, she sees a sword had impaled the maid in the abdomen, her eyes now devoid of life as blood poured out of her body. Elizabeth cries out and quickly stands to grip the handle of the giant blade. Despite her best attempts to pull the sword out, she fails. She wasn't strong enough to remove the sword wedged between her poor maid and the wall.

Distressed, she keeps trying to pull at the blade, hoping it would budge even a little bit. Her vision is blurred from the tears falling down her face and she hopes that those are what give the illusion that Yue's life is gone. "Yue," she cries out, "We need to go, get up!"

Elizabeth trembles, no longer able to hold in the sobs that she finally lets out. Yue had tried to get them to safety. It was Elizabeth's own inadequacy in handling the situation that had slowed them down in the middle of the demise, and it had cost her life. Before had time to think and grieve, she's shoved aside and off the blade and onto the floor.

The figure of what looked like a small boy grabbed the handle of the sword and, with what Elizabeth found to be a mortifying _squelch_ and _crunch_, pulled the blade from the body of her poor maid. She imagines this boy would be the owner of the blade that had brutally murdered Yue and with wide eyes, she regards him with fear, her body shaking _so_ violently. He had turned to look at her with dark, _empty_ eyes that rivaled and instilled the level of fear her mother's own eyes gave her during a terribly, silent night. He had wild, blonde hair and there was a black crest crowned at the center of his forehead, and she suddenly remembers reading about a crest like this in one of her books.

_Elizabeth, run! Run you coward! _But it was all the strength she had left in her to just sit there and shake and cry. When he starts to step towards Elizabeth, she pushes her feet into the ground to slide her body back in a feeble attempt to create any space she can between this creature of death and herself, her heart crashing in her chest. He regards her impassively, now holding his sword over his shoulder as he continues to approach her.

_He's going to kill me!_

He's going to kill her.

He'll kill her.

…She'll die.

Elizabeth suddenly stops and so does he.

In that sudden moment of stillness, everything is quiet. It's as if time had stopped. Elizabeth lowers her eyes from the person in front of her and gazes back at Yue's corpse. And it's like she's a different person.

Elizabeth looks back up to stare into the eyes of the last person she would probably ever see, and she _smiles_. It takes the boy aback, seemingly. She thought she saw his eyes widen a bit, a _sliver_ of surprise in them, but she can't bring herself to care about anything else anymore.

_How ironic,_ she thinks.

She had asked, quietly prayed for this most of her nights and here it was, ready to deliver. And she forces most of her thoughts of her head in these last few moments, focusing only on _this. _

Elizabeth takes in this boy, giving him one last look, and for a second, she thinks he is rather handsome for a god of death.

She closes her eyes, whispers a barely audible 'thank you' to the world, and waits for her eternal sleep.

* * *

_Somnus__, Yoko Shimomura from FFXV. _


	2. Gods & Monsters

Chapter Two: Gods & Monsters

* * *

When Elizabeth opens her eyes again, she is startled, which is not…unusual for her, but she hadn't imagined that the dead could wake again. Death always seemed so…final in her opinion. And while she had read stories on people obtaining a new life after death, or even reincarnation, she had her doubts. When she finds herself staring at an exquisitely detailed ceiling overhead, her doubts begin to grow. Perhaps there _was_ an afterlife after death?

"Ah, so the little princess wakes." Elizabeth heard a voice say from the left of her. She jumps up into a sitting position and turns her head to look at the perpetrator. She sees a man sitting in a chair beside the bed she was apparently laying in. He had an amused look on his face, a crest over his right eye. In his lap sat a book that, she assumes, kept him company while he waited.

Elizabeth had noticed a familiarity about him, the crest over his eye similar to that of the boy she had met before she had lost consciousness. She wonders if they were both from the Demon Clan that Yue had mentioned to her before she…

Elizabeth shook her head. If she was meeting another stranger from this clan, she can very well confirm that she had not _suffered_ the same fate as her dear maid. Perhaps the boy had decided to take her prisoner instead, for whatever reasons she can only imagine.

It would seem her life would continue for now.

"You seem pensive, young princess." The man beside her spoke again, interrupting her thoughts. She hadn't realized that it had been some time since he had last spoken to her.

"Where am I?" She asks first, curious about her surroundings. The room she was in was remarkably similar to her palace, it was quite luxurious. "Why have you brought me here?"

The man chuckled lightly, and she shot him a glare. "Do demons usually find these matters amusing?" Her words had a bite to them, and it's so unusual coming from her that she feels her face warm in embarrassment.

"You're quite aggressive for a lady who just woke up." He said with a smile on his face and another laugh. Her face only grows warmer. Yes, she realizes her words were quite unladylike, but given her situation, the man was treating her like some kind of fool by tiptoeing around the situation, and it did not sit well with her.

"My apologies, perhaps you would like me to ask again over a cup of tea and some sweets?" She couldn't help but retort. As she finished her sentenced though, she couldn't help but wince as if her mother might've have been in the same room with her. But she wasn't, and she suddenly felt foolish. Her mother had such control over her existence, she felt silly to have thought she would be… where ever _here_ is, too.

She became solemn.

As if noticing her internal conflict with herself, the demon beside her interrupted her train of thoughts again to introduce himself. "I am the demon Gowther, one of the Ten Commandments. The Celestial Realm was invaded by the rest of the Commandments, unfortunately. The leader has brought you here, to the realm of Demons."

Elizabeth didn't know how to take the news. Her eyes shifted from the demon, Gowther, to her hands in her lap. "You sound as if you had nothing to do with the invasion."

Gowther smiled and he stood, "I suppose it's not right of me to say I had no part in this plan, but I was not _physically _there, young princess. Although, it is unfortunate for you that you are _here_." And with those cryptic last words, he went out the only door in the entirety of this lavish room.

She was alone.

He had answered just little more of one from the two questions she had asked but left her with more questions than what she had started with. She sat there for a while before she mustered up some courage to stand from the bed and make her way around the room. Gowther had mentioned that she was a prisoner but didn't specify just whose hands she had fallen under. Did all prisoners get such a grandeur room to stay in?

She tried for the door first and pulled at the handle to test for a spell that would reject her touch, but no such spell existed. At least, not on this door. She made her way down the gloomy hallway, there were windows aligned the walls, but no light made its way into the corridor. Elizabeth took this chance to glance outside.

The demon Gowther must have spoken the truth for Elizabeth saw pillars of hard rock, mountains and hills of dirt and dust, and no sun. There were clouds, but they were as dark as the nights were during a new moon in the mortal world. It looked like a storm was coming from the way the clouds flashed brightly for a few seconds. She wonders what the shadowy figures she sees in the far distance were.

Elizabeth had heard rumors of the Demon Realm from the meetings she often attended with her mother. Known for their wicked nature, there were demons who often roamed the lands above to hunt for souls and hearts. Usually victims consisted of humans, but they weren't strangers to taking a goddess every once in while, if they were brave.

There have been times where goddesses were rescued from the hellish and cruel conditions of this world, where they had unfortunately fallen victim to demons whose tastes went beyond souls and hearts and had instead been made slaves of labor or of desire.

The goddesses who had fallen victim to a demon's lust were considered to be _corrupted_ and were promptly eliminated, according to the Supreme Deity.

* * *

_The group of women who were rescued from the clutches of a demon were crying from joy, their heads bowed to the floor as they express their gratitude to their Supreme Deity, who sat on her golden throne with her head in her hand. Elizabeth sat next to her, her eyes drifting from the women, who were crying out their praises and undying loyalty for their ruler, to her mother. Her mother's eyes were empty, and the scowl on her face only expressed her disinterest in the situation in front of her. _

_Besides the group of women, Elizabeth and her mother were the only ones in the room. She felt nervous, a sudden chill shot down her spine as her mother suddenly stood and walked down the few steps to finally stand over the women. _

"_Raise your heads," she spoke softly. She smiled sweetly at them, a smile that turned Elizabeth's stomach. She had recognized that sickly, sweet smile. She had been on the receiving end of that wicked smile before. Her heart crashed against her ribs, the room suddenly feeling much too warm. _

"_Mother," she whispered, but she was not heard. And for a brief second, she was relieved that her mother had not heard her quiet protest. _

_The women raised their heads, their eyes red from the tears they shed. They all had their hands clasped in front of them, like they were offering a prayer. _

"_I do not doubt your bravery through your hard times. I praise your courage, and I thank you for your sacrifice." _

"_My queen!" One of the women had called out, her face the purest form of admiration. _

"_I hope you will understand," her mother speaks again, and Elizabeth holds her breath, "I do this…" she raises a hand and extends her arm. Her hand was inches away from one of the young women's faces before a light from her hand fills the room, and then the young woman falls over on the floor, lifeless. "For the future of our clan." The others look on in shock and before they get the chance to plead for their lives, it's over. _

"_I won't have such impurities in my clan."_

_Elizabeth can only look on in horror before she closes her eyes and turns her head away._

* * *

Growing up, Elizabeth began to notice how deep the dark secrets of the Celestial Realm ran. So, when she had first witnessed the prompt execution of her people at the hands of her mother, she was pale with shock. She had cried herself to sleep that night. It's goes without saying, Elizabeth is left to wonder if she would fall to the same fate should she ever make it out of here. The Supreme Deity made no exceptions to punishment, as she had witnessed firsthand.

She hears footsteps down the corridor, and she turns her head from the quite _joyous _view outside to the sound. Two women dressed in servant attire made their way to her with clothing in their hands. Elizabeth turns her body to face them, a rather unpleasant look on their faces as if _she_ were a toxin. When they finally reach her, they bow slightly, and she's taken slightly by surprise at the gesture of respect.

"Our Lord Meliodas wishes to dine with you. We are servants sent by our master to help dress you."

Before she can stop herself, she mutters the name of their master without a title in question and she's met with cold glares as sharp as knives. Instead of expressing their rather obvious distaste, they rush her back inside the room she was in and quickly undress her of the nightgown she was _still_ wearing from the night. She had been so consumed in her thoughts that she hadn't registered that she was practically _undressed_ in front of the demon she had met earlier. Her face grows warm with embarrassment at the thought while the two begin to dress her in clothes of their realm, her nightgown tossed aside dirty with the blood of her own servant. Her blush disappears as quickly as it had settled on her cheeks and instead, she feels cold at the memory. She will have to pray for her beloved servant later.

When the two are finished with dressing her, they lead her out of the room and down the corridor to a large dining room. She's pushed in by the servants, who give a deep bow at the man sitting across the long table before they close the doors behind her, exiting.

Elizabeth spends a few seconds looking around the dining hall before her eyes settle on the man— or rather, _boy_— at one end of the table. She frowns.

She had heard the name before, Meliodas, the firstborn of the Demon King. He was rumored to be arrogant, brutal, savage, and _strong_. Strength that the world had not seen in thousands of years, apparently. Those who came across the demon were usually not left alive to tell the tale, but rumors had reached even the Celestial Realm somehow. Elizabeth had expected a rugged, hideous man with a face as hideous as the rumors. What Elizabeth had _not _expected was that Meliodas would be the young boy she had met the night her palace was invaded. The boy who had mercilessly slaughtered her maid, and who knows how many others of her kind. The boy who she had _expected_ to end her life.

He sits with his fingers intertwined in front of him, elbows on the table. She feels as though the dark crest imprinted over his forehead is screaming at her, his dark eyes boring through her. Elizabeth cannot help the involuntary swallow, which he _apparently _catches because he begins to smirk at her nervousness. She hands begin to smooth out the creases of her plum and gold gown before she walks to the chair across from him. She is glad for the distance the long table puts between them, at least.

She begins to make a move to pull her chair out before she senses magic in the air that does it for her instead. She opens her mouth and lets out a shaky exhale and _curse her, _she shouldn't be this nervous, but she had never been so face-to-face with extraordinary power that wasn't her mother. And she doesn't exactly have grand memories of those experiences.

Elizabeth finally takes her seat and she looks down at the plate of food in front of her. She doesn't dare to look at him, he _wanted _her to look at him, she feels.

"Eat," she hears him say, before she hears him using utensils on his own plate. In one word, she can tell his voice is deep and smooth like velvet, but it's the power he holds in it that has her heart jumping wildly. She takes a breath in before she responds, "I am not particularly hungry," she mutters as she stares at the variety of…_food_ on her dish. Did that just _move?_

"Suit yourself, princess." She can feel him shrug without looking at him. A servant enters the room and takes her plate away before just as quickly exiting, leaving behind only the glass of dark red liquid. "You should at least try the wine."

She listens to him, and _not_ just because she's particularly fond of a nice red wine. In fact, she'd like to drown in alcohol to help her cope with the dangerous situation she finds herself in. But she also listens to him to get into his graces. He has something planned and whether she likes it or not, she entertains him.

They sit in silence for a few minutes and it's unnerving. Her brow pinches as she frowns, wondering if he was doing this to taunt her. When she finally musters up the courage to look at him on the count of _three_, she's surprised to find him looking at her.

His face is expressionless, his mouth thin into a line before breaking out into another smirk. "Finally looking at me, hm?" She casts him a glare but remains silent, expecting more to come out from his _unsightly_ mouth. And she's not wrong.

"Let's get down to business, shall we?" He stands from his seat and slowly, _painfully slow_, starts to make his way over to her. Had her heart calmed down a bit before? She notices her chest becoming painful with each beat again. "The Demon King _requested_ for us to bring you along from our last excursion," he begins, as if being able to read her mind and picking her brain for one of the many questions she had.

She's unable to keep silent, "You are disgusting if you label the _assault_ of my home and _murdering_ of my people a simple _excursion._" It's as if she lit a fire because his eyes grow wild and the grin that spreads over his face shows that he managed to rile _something_ from her, to her regret. He stands before her now and reaches a hand for her. She flinches, a reaction embedded in her by the actions of her mother, and her eyes widen in distress. He takes note because instead of doing _whatever_ he was getting ready to do, he reaches for a lock of her long, silvery hair instead.

He brings it up to his nose and inhales deeply to her disgust. Elizabeth stands from her chair and backs away from him, "What do you have planned?"

He lowers the hand that remained in the air before using it to push the chair she was sitting in away from her. It was the only obstacle she had between them and her pride prevented her from moving away any further as he got closer to her once again.

"It was his decision to bring you, but it was _mine _to have you assigned to me here. You're bait, plain and simple. A means to lure out your dear queen." He drawled out before her. Elizabeth couldn't help the sneaky smile that crept on her face, "You have picked the wrong bait, _Lord _Meliodas. She will not come for me." She emphasized his title.

Perhaps her mother would be slightly distressed that she was taken, but not out of love and _she _would not come. She might send others, but Elizabeth knew better than to believe that she would do it in hopes of rescuing her precious daughter. Now that Elizabeth had fallen into the clutches of the Demon King, and his son, she would not live to see the light of grace another day. Of that, she was sure. Yet, part of her had _yearned _to have her mother come to the realization that she does, in fact, care for her daughter. Not as a vessel of her liking, but as the daughter that was born out of the love between her and her father.

She had assumed though that she would not live long enough to find out ultimately.

The deep chuckle that Meliodas had let out startled her out of her thoughts.

"We'll see, princess. If you're right, then we'll leave it at that and go about it a different way." The casualness of his statement had shocked her. They wouldn't just let it end with her is what he was saying.

"You trying to start a war," Elizabeth whispered, her breath escaping her.

"_Precisely._" The crest on his head had pulsed, his eyes now filled with amusement. It was as if his only purpose, his only joy, was in war. "You just happen to be unfortunate enough to get caught up in this. But don't worry, princess. I take good care of my pets, as you'll come to find out."

The look of horror that had fallen over her face only added to his delight. She felt dizzy and used the table beside her to steady herself, the information given to her too much to handle at once. She could care less of herself, but the lives of her _people_ were another thing. She remembered the children who she loved to see playing around, the kind men and women in the streets offering her fruits and bread with so much joy. The prosperity of her race would be lost. And though it _pained _her to say so, her mother had built a paradise at a _price_, but a utopia nonetheless.

Though there was always tension between the goddess clan and the demon clan, it had never gone beyond occasional fights. They were on the verge of a full-scale war.

"Please," she quietly pleaded, desperately praying for it to just end with her. "You would do significant damage to the goddess clan just by having taken me. Is that not…Can that not be _enough?_" She thought she had caught a glimpse of _something _in his eyes, but she blinked, and it was gone. Or perhaps she was just imagining, hoping it was there. He turns around and heads to the doors that in turn open for him, "Begging will lead you nowhere with _me_, princess."

He was gone before she could say anything else. Her eyes stung painfully, already brimming with tears, but she waited before the servants escorted her back to the room before she let herself cry.

It would come down to a war between gods in the end. It would be a show of power and dominance. The world would be the one to pay the consequence of destruction, however. And she could do nothing but fall prey to a land of monsters, just as some of her people had.

* * *

_Gods & Monsters, Lana Del Rey._


	3. Hear Me

Chapter Three: Hear Me

* * *

Time passed.

Elizabeth wasn't sure how much time exactly, but it felt like an eternity. She doesn't know how many days it had been since she was taken from her home, how long she had been here in the Demon Realm. She spent most of the time staring at the ceiling in the room she was kept in. She hasn't wandered out of the room since her meeting with Meliodas. Elizabeth doesn't try to look for exits, she knows that as much as she is being allowed to stay comfortably, she's probably heavily guarded albeit it not being very obvious.

The rest of her time is spent sleeping or trying to anyway. She has found that regardless of whether she is at home near her mother or out of her reach here in the Demon Realm, her nightmares do not cease. In fact, they had gotten worse. At least in the Celestial Realm, she was able to read or busy herself with royal duties to keep her mind off of them. But while she was here, she had _nothing _but time.

So, her mind had nothing else to think of but of the dreams and memories that haunt her, and like a novel it always started with her father's death. Ultimately, this had been the most traumatizing event of her life and the one she blamed herself greatly for. This is where all the issues in her life take root from, she's sure.

Elizabeth is idly staring at the ceiling again as she lays on the lavish bed, unable to stop herself from remembering how eight years ago _she _was the reason her father died. How at a tender age of ten, for the first time, she would experience the world that flourished so brilliantly beneath the Celestial Realm and how it had enchanted her. The way the wind blew through a field of white and pink flowers and how it had lifted a sweet aroma to her nose. How the sun would shine through the luscious green trees. Her father had thought it would be a wonderful idea to show Elizabeth another world, another life beside the ones they lived in the Celestial Realm. And though her mother was initially cautious of the idea, she would not deny her family of the little happiness they could have away from their royal obligations.

Elizabeth was delighted, taking in all the nature. She remembers quite vividly the image of mother and father sitting under the shade of a large tree while she ran through the field. She remembers hearing her mother warning her not to go too far but her curiosity was at an all-time high in this new world, and she couldn't exactly help but venture further and further away from that cute but small meadow. She had met small, but crafty creatures like rabbits and squirrels. She had chased after them until she stumbled upon a bright blue butterfly resting on the bark of a tree. She had gotten just close enough to examine the butterfly's wings before it decides to finally fly away.

She never chased after it, instead just admiring the way it flew through the sky. It wasn't until after it was gone from her line of vision that she noticed that she had ventured too far away from the clearing and hadn't realized something else was keeping an eye on _her. _The rest of that memory becomes hazy, or perhaps she had subconsciously blocked the moment, but the next thing she remembers is her father's body in front of her and her mother wailing over it, the corpse of a monster several feet away from them.

At his burial, next to her mother who was tightly, almost painfully squeezing her hand, she discovers that he had stepped in to save her from a giant serpent who had chosen her to be their next meal. Her father had been an excellent healer, but never thought it necessary to have power. There was an obvious difference in strength, and he had died protecting her from the serpent monster by having taken a bite meant for her and was ultimately crushed to death moments later. Her mother had arrived just a minute too late. Elizabeth could never forget the way her mother screamed in rage as she purified the monster nor intensity of her agony when it was all over.

For what felt like ages, she remembers her mother weeping over the loss of her love. Elizabeth mirrored her actions after some time, his death not completely registering until one night a maid had told her the king would _never _be able to read to her again. She became distressed over finally understanding the loss of her kind father who had once upon a time read her to sleep every night. She would cry herself to sleep for some time after that.

She figured—no, _knew _her mother had resented her for his death after a while. Though she had never once uttered hateful words to Elizabeth, her mother had chosen to express her resentment other ways. She carefully, selectively chose different forms of _discipline. _

Elizabeth's curiosity had been met with confinement in her room for days on end without any contact. Elizabeth's playfulness was quickly put to a halt with her mother's strike against her. Elizabeth's outspokenness _corrected_ with a blade running down her body. Elizabeth's individuality locked away. Her mother craved to make her _perfect _to counter her ill manners, the same ones that had caused the death of her father.

Could she hate her mother for it all? Elizabeth had once thought she did, but as she older, she realized that she probably had no _right_ to. Perhaps this was divine punishment for her actions, for leading her father to an early grave— in fact, she had probably _deserved _this. Her mother's actions were cruel, but she had grown to truly believe they weren't unjust. Elizabeth had learned to take things as they happen but had learned out of fear.

When she had met initially met Meliodas in the Celestial Realm during the attack and thought he would take her life, her initial reaction had been to _fear_, his presence reminding her so much of her mother's own. Moments later, she had come to accept and even _welcome _death at his hands, thinking it was divine retribution for all she's done. In the time she spent alone in this room, she had come to accept that perhaps she deserved that sort of fate. She was shocked to figure out that she actually might have _craved _for that kind of freedom, for a sleep so deep that she would never feel _anything _again. Would her mother, would the world _finally_ be satisfied with that?

The sound of loud knocking on the door finally drew her out of her heavy daze. She turned her eyes to the noise and ushered a quiet 'come in' to them. She almost thought she had to repeat her words a little louder as they had taken a while to open the door, but they had eventually come in. It was one of the many servants she had come to meet in her time being here. A servant whose harsh gaze looked over Elizabeth and had apparently judged her in some way that made her start to feel self-conscious of herself. She hadn't noticed in her time alone but perhaps she had come to look god awful in the time she had been here. She hadn't eaten, hadn't slept all that much, and hadn't even _bathed _since she arrived.

The servants occasionally dropped by to offer her food, though she also guesses that their drop ins were also to check on her as well. They would leave trays in the room, but because she could never force herself up to take a moment to see what it was that they held, she never ate. The trays were eventually taken out.

It wasn't a matter of rebelling or seeing how long she could starve herself before she gives in and eats _anything_, she just wasn't hungry enough to eat. The idea of eating even made her sick to her stomach. She couldn't imagine that food served in the Demon Realm would quite live up to the food she was used to eating at home.

The servant had no tray this time, however. Instead, she had dragged Elizabeth out of bed and out the door despite her quiet protests. She was rushed into a bathroom where she was quickly washed and then dried. She was put in a soft, pale pink nightgown that reached just below her knees and her hair was brushed and braided before she was ushered out just as quickly as she was pushed in. The next room she was sent into was unfamiliar to her and was lightly lit with candles hanging from the walls.

Her eyes took some time to adjust to the darker room, but when they finally did, she had seen a table against a wall with scrolls and ink pens laying on it, a large window draped with burgundy curtains with a large bed to match, and a small round table next to the bed with a plate of food and silverware lying in wait.

"They tell me you haven't eaten." A voice drawls out from behind her and a shiver rushes down her spine. She turns her head to him, surprised to not have noticed him standing next to the door with his arms crossed. Meliodas had looked annoyed, his eyes narrowed, and mouth turned down in obvious irritation.

"What does it matter to you if a prisoner chooses not to eat?" Elizabeth muttered quietly, finding herself devoid of most of her energy and even starting to feel a little faint.

_Crap_.

She hadn't noticed it when she had been lying in bed but now that she was up, she had started feeling lightheaded. He's behind her that instant and supports her, leading her figure to the chair near the rounded table. Elizabeth tries to push herself off and away him, feeling much too exposed and _vulnerable_ in this situation but Meliodas is obviously the stronger one here, and becoming inpatient he grips both of her arms in a seize and forces her to sit.

She's embarrassed by her inability to do much, and angry when he takes her chin in his hand to lift her head up. She opens her mouth to try and spite him as much as she could but he's quick to stuff _something_ in her mouth and pushed it in until his finger touched her lips.

"Chew." He commanded, and she didn't hesitate to obey with wide eyes. She chewed slowly and her eyebrows furrowed in worry, afraid of what exactly he had put in her mouth but comes to find that she's thrilled at the familiar taste.

"Fish?" she asks after she's swallowed. He doesn't say anything and backs away from her, taking a seat in the next chair beside her. "Believe it or not, _princess_, I wasn't lying about taking care of my pets." He pushes the plate to her, an indirect way of telling her to keep eating.

She frowns at his words but doesn't waver in picking up another piece of fish with the silverware and putting it in her mouth. She chews and swallows before speaking again, "How strangely considerate of you. Do you always keep your…_items_ in extravagant rooms, as well?"

He smirks before responding, "Sometimes I keep them in my bedroom." She chokes on a piece of fish and turns bright red at his insinuation, suddenly caught off guard by the comment. Her reaction only brings a cheeky grin to his face before he continues, "Does it interest you?"

She's about finished with her plate when she shoots him a glare, "I take back my comment. You're as vulgar as they come."

His eyes close and Meliodas shrugs his shoulders, "The offer stands."

"I'd sooner sleep on a bed of thorns." Elizabeth scoffed, finishing up her plate and a bit surprised that she had actually managed to eat something. She might have been famished more than she led herself on to believe.

She catches how Meliodas' eyes flash wildly, and his grin widening. "_That _can be arranged."

She can't help the scowl that settles on her face and tries for a change in conversation. "Why have you done this?"

"You'll have to be a bit more specific, princess."

"Everything. You mentioned the last time that you had asked for me to be under your watch. You are doing _this _for someone you call a prisoner—a _pet?" _Elizabeth hates the word coming out of her mouth.

His dark eyes somehow feel as if they burn into her own and it made her feel strange for a moment. She casts her eyes off to the side a moment later, to look at anywhere but him.

Before long, he responds. "Don't go overthinking it, I'd just rather not fuck around with bag of bones."

She's mortified by his words. Why would she think he had another motive behind this? Was she to be played with before she faces death? Would her life continue on in misery until the very end? Would she spend the rest of her living days entertaining this demon? Would her mother really leave her here and abandon her after all out of pure spite?

The internal conflict that had started within Elizabeth had again made her feel sick. She felt nauseous, the queasy feeling in her stomach bubbling gradually, her anxiety building as everything—and her current situation—_really _started sinking in.

She nervously begins to glance around, wondering what her best chances to escape would be. She wouldn't make it far, the unfamiliar territory and terrain giving her an unfair disadvantage. She also wasn't sure she'd get so close to the door without some kind of intervention by Meliodas, but maybe he was confident enough to let her _try _first and see if she could figure something out along the way.

Meliodas hadn't given her another second to continue on with her thoughts before he catches her arm in a strong grip.

"Don't. I'm not in the mood to chase after you, _princess_." She stiffens at his response and then lets out a shaky breath. She might have made her thoughts too obvious, but she could almost swear he's able to read her thoughts. Whatever minute playfulness there may have been just moments before was gone, replaced by a sullen, dark mood.

"How terrible of me to think of inconveniencing you in some way, _little prince_." Perhaps she had felt as though she could be a bit more confident now that she was out of her mother's umbrella, but she still feels exposed in some way—almost vulnerable? She couldn't put her finger on what the feeling was, but it was as if her mother could still _hear _her even now, a part of her still expecting some form of retaliation in return for the spark in her tone.

She hears him release a long sigh, though, and he releases his grip on her. She half expected him to stand and do…_something _but instead he leans back in his chair and throws his head over the back end of it, his eyes closed. The action leaves her a bit perplexed.

"I won't do anything, not tonight. I already said I wasn't in the mood, so calm your tits, would you?" He responds with a bite to his words.

She flushes furiously, her mouth hanging open in shock for a brief moment. She closes her mouth, opens it again but unable to draw any sort of response out. She closes her mouth again, her hands drawn tightly in her lap at the difficult situation she's been thrown in.

Her gaze shifts uncomfortably between her lap and around the room before she finally decides to settle it on him. In the two times she had seen him, he had been wearing a white coat and matching pants— was that his typical battle wear? — with high steel boots. She doesn't forget the very large blade he wields, but he hadn't had it on him the second time she saw him or even now. Now he looked a bit more casual, wearing a sleeveless, loose black top and matching fitted black pants, his choice of footwear seemingly forgotten.

"Liking what you see, princess?" He breaks the silence with a seemingly playful tone and Elizabeth is startled out of her thoughts when he speaks again, having been caught in the silence for what seemed like minutes. He's still leaned back in the chair, his face turned to the air and his eyes were still closed. Elizabeth was almost sure that he had hidden eyes, but he could somehow _sense _her gaze over him.

She tries not to give him the reaction he's looking for, "You look comfortable." She manages to point out quietly, a little bewildered at seeing him look so…relaxed, and still a little shaken up from earlier. He opens an eye only to briefly glance over at her before he finally straightens himself out to respond. "So do you." She can't help the heat that climbs up her neck.

"I wasn't really given a choice." she says quietly.

His eyes settle on her for the moment, and it makes her feel awkward again. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, his dark eyes hiding all he was from the world. They stay still like this, looking at one another until she succumbs to the uneasy, almost painful, environment it was creating. Eventually she turns her gaze away from his, unable to decipher his thoughts like he's so easily able to with her.

She speaks, once again trying to again change the moment, "How much time has passed since…" She's not able to finish her sentence before he speaks again, "It's been nearly a week up there. The Goddess Clan is quiet, for now. We're not doing much on our end, either." It's as if he's trying to reassure her, and it helps. It eases her nerves a bit, but also somewhat confirms her suspicions over her mother sending help for her. Could she trust his words?

Elizabeth intertwines her fingers together, and she manages a quiet 'thank you' anyway. He had no obligation to tell her, but it was nice relief to know that perhaps Meliodas was not so unreasonable sometimes. With a curt nod, he stands, and she mimics the action. "I'll take you back to your room."

* * *

The walk back to the room was met mostly with silence. Meliodas had mentioned that it was late, but when Elizabeth gazes out any window that she can find she notices no difference in the atmosphere. She couldn't tell whether it was night or day here.

When she recognizes the door to the room she was staying in, she's nervous again. Meliodas opens the door for her to enter and once she's inside, he makes to close the door, but she quickly turns and holds the door still. He looks at her questionably, and it makes her hesitate. Her lips part but no words come out just yet, fearful to speak her thoughts. When she sees him growing inpatient, though, her hesitation panics and escapes her.

She had tried a pitiful and quite pathetic attempt to negotiate with him over their last meeting, and he had denied her then, but she decides to try again.

"Meliodas, can we—can't we figure something out? You hold status in your name, you have power to back it up. I can try and figure something out in the Celestial Realm. Between the two of us, can we not go about this a different way? Does this all have to lead to war? Is that all you care for?"

She pleads and tries to meet his gaze but only finds an icy glare that shocks her into releasing her grip on the door.

His gives no answer and he shuts the door.

* * *

_Hear Me, Kelly Clarkson._


	4. Asphyxia

Chapter Four: Asphyxia

* * *

Elizabeth hadn't seen or heard from Meliodas since he dropped her off at her room.

She had brought up the possibility of working together for the sake of preventing war, and he didn't seem to take to the idea too fondly.

And why would he?

_He is a combat god, you idiot. He _likes_ the blood, gore, and fighting! _

Elizabeth had felt like such a fool afterwards for even saying anything to him, _but_ he had taken a moment to find her something to eat and even reassure her of some of the worries she had.

_He has other things in mind for you, you _moron_._

Elizabeth was at war with herself. Meliodas had created a comfortable environment for her to stay in, but he had mentioned that it was more for his benefit than hers. In the end, it was all probably part of his plan to mess with her. Yes, after all she was his 'plaything', a _doll_ in this game of his.

But Elizabeth had a feeling she couldn't quite shake off. Something was _off _about Meliodas. She was sure of that much. Or at least, mostly—more like _kind of—_sure. She couldn't read him, unlike his ability to read her _very _well. But she tries to tell herself that she was making her thoughts quite obvious around him, so he had an unfair advantage.

He seemed quiet but cryptic, preferring to observe first and then act if needed to. The mystery surrounding him reminding her of an ocean, cold and obscure.

Her comparison was, of course, based off literature she had read about before and, well, it was enough for her to relate him to. To add to it all, she had never really been around other people besides her own kind so she supposes anything, or anyone, new she meets would be a bit of a mystery. So perhaps she was being a bit biased in labeling him as such, but she digresses.

She had liked to read to explore the world in a way she could not do so directly. The Celestial Realm's grand library had books of all kind from the quirky romances she liked to read for fun (only when she was away from the stringent eyes of her mother, of course) to research on all kinds of life in the world they lived in, including the demon clan. But information about demons was nearly nil and very rare to come across besides the very obvious.

There was information on several different types of demons and some of their abilities, as well as the infamous crest she had observed on Meliodas before, the sign of a higher ranked demon. Any other information on the dark clan was almost nonexistent in the library, so Elizabeth really had _nothing _to go off of in reading the demon. And it quite made her feel inadequate and somewhat _irritated_, so much so that she would now spend most of her time exploring the building she was being kept in. If there was any good that came of their last encounter, it was that demon had sparked a desire to learn _more _of the mysterious race.

She was later informed by the servants that she could roam around as she pleased—she had been given permission by the young master himself.

_How kind of him, _she had sneered much to the dismay of the servants.

She had made sure to do good by his word and take advantage of generous opportunity that he had given her. So instead of lying in bed and staring her days away, surrendering herself to the murky thoughts that hid inside her, she would go do _something_ to satisfy the raging curiosity that had suddenly sparked in her, and maybe even find some way to escape in the process.

* * *

When the servants had come into her room to try and get her ready for the day, she had looked at them with narrowed eyes and a pout on her lips. "Again, I can _dress_ _myself. _Thank you!" She called out, startling them enough to drop the attire and shoes they had brought in for her. She shooed them out quickly, flustered, and her wings had emerged and fluttered wildly behind her in response. She panted, trying to regain her composure as little feathers floated whimsically around her until she was finally able to relax and straighten up again.

When she didn't need them, she usually kept her wings tucked carefully inside her back, a rare but not uncommon quirk among goddesses. When she had need of them, they sprouted quickly and gracefully, as if they were never gone. Sometimes, though, when she didn't quite have a hang on her emotions, they popped out in reaction. She would have to take time to control that, eventually.

For the time she had been here, she had kept them inside, finding it quite awkward to have around in this environment—she already felt close enough to being a walking beacon with her fair skin and long, silver hair, she didn't quite need her fluffy, white wings screaming 'LOOK AT ME, I'M A GODDESS' any further. And the clothes they had been bringing her weren't quite fitted to goddesses, anyway, so she had chosen not to keep her wings out.

When she was finally alone, she picked up the clothes and shoes from the floor and made her way out of the room and down the hall to where she remembered the bathroom to be. Some of the servants had a problem with her presence, she had come to notice. She was occasionally met with jeers and scornful gazes, but more often she was attended to kindly by other servants. Once in the bathroom, she drew her bath and, this time, _enjoyed _it at her convenience.

Elizabeth's first bath here was rushed, and other times she would be surrounded by those who either snickered in the background or ogled at her body for reasons unknown. Either situation did not spare her from a painful sting of embarrassment.

Elizabeth's body was not exactly perfect, but she was _not _ashamed of it. She was well-developed, not really thin like the female servants she had come across here. She supposes that they could have been laughing at that, but besides the faint scars on her body from _that _time, Elizabeth was actually quite fond of her voluptuous figure so she tried to ignore it as best as she could.

Sinking into the warm waters, she lets out a long, dreamy sigh that only gives away her pleasure. Some joys were still the same, it seems, regardless of where she was.

She enjoys the bath for a long while after, and finally emerges when she grows weary of her skin having grown so full of wrinkles from her soaking. She had _really _enjoyed that bath, though. So much so that Elizabeth catches herself humming while she's drying off, and quietly laughs at the action. How long had it been since she's done that?

When she's finally dressed in her new attire, she slips out of the bathroom and back into the hallway to continue on with her day. While she still had a hard time keeping track of the time, there was one neat discovery she's made since her time here—a room full of clocks. She stumbled upon the room accidentally, trying to find the dining room instead. It was bewildering, seeing and hearing the clocks all ticking at different speeds with one standing in the center standing out from all the rest. The hands on this clock paced briskly, without the briefest of pause like the others, and Elizabeth was sure there was meaning to it but what significance it could hold escaped her.

Elizabeth decides to visit that room again today, but when she enters, she finds herself in the company of another this time.

She lets out a noise in surprise and it catches the attention of the demon standing in the center of the room.

"Ah, so you've come out of your little cocoon, hmm?" The demon gives her the smallest of smiles as he turns to face her.

She hesitates, a little nervous to be face-to-face in front of the familiar demon but shoves it aside and steps towards him. "You're…Gowther, right?" Gowther's smile widens, an amused glint in his eyes.

He bows, "How kind of you to remember, young princess." Elizabeth is taken aback by his respectful gesture, unsure of how to react but noticing that he doesn't seem to hold any malice towards her. "You look lovely, certainly livelier than when we first met."

She blushes, "I suppose you're not wrong. I was a little down." His smile doesn't fade. Elizabeth found it strange to feel so relaxed around the demon, especially one of the Ten Commandments as he had previously mentioned. He had never shown any hostility towards her, not before and seemingly not now. Perhaps it was too soon to be sure, though.

Gowther turns his back to her, focusing on the clocks spread around the room. "Has anyone explained this room to you?"

She ignores the urge to hesitate and walks over to stand beside him, gazing around before murmuring her answer, "I don't think anyone would feel comfortable explaining anything to me."

Gowther chuckles, "Don't let it unnerve you. Those that reside in this manor have probably never laid eyes on a goddess before." Gowther's answer surprises her, but before she could ask him to explain any further, he continues.

"Time flows differently here in the Demon Realm. One minute in the human world is equivalent to a year here. Each clan is under a different spell of time. Time is indifferent in each land, completely unrelated to another. It's quite interesting."

"So, each of these clocks represents the time across each clan?" Shocked, Elizabeth looked up at Gowther. She wasn't aware of the fact and she's stunned by the new bit of information.

Gowther nods and points to a particular clock, "This one is the current time in the Celestial Realm. It's evening there now."

She removes her gaze from Gowther and follows the direction of his hand. The short hand of this clock was still, and the longer hand moved at a slow but steady tick, the movement reminded her of pace of her own clock in her own room. She had not realized the other clocks move differently in comparison, one of the clocks' hands not even moving at all. "Time moves slowest in the Celestial Realm?"

"It does. The days are longer than the nights, but both periods seem to drag on for a while. Have you ever noticed?"

As Gowther asks, Elizabeth only remembers the terrible waves of emotions she always felt whenever the sun set in her world, the night drowning her for as long as it could in terror and dread before the warm rays of daybreak broke through those shadows and let her surface from the dark depths, that first breath always tasting the sweetest. She almost couldn't believe his words, her nights always felt _much _longer than her days.

"No, I can't say I had noticed." She admits somberly, the sudden memory already trying to suffocate her.

He places a hand on her shoulder, the sensation startling her. She jumps and looks up at him, his eyes dark but somehow showing a gentleness she hadn't thought she'd ever be on the receiving end of. It was if he had _known, _the action meant to reassure her and it shocks her out of her muted state, the feeling bringing her a comfort she hadn't known she _needed_.

She looks away and bites her lip, the sudden urge to cry overwhelming her with such ferocity that she tries to use pain to distract herself.

They remain quiet and still for the moment, she does not doubt Gowther doing it on purpose to give her some time to regain herself, his hand only leaving her shoulder when she felt she had calmed down enough to come back to the current situation.

In the next moment, Elizabeth frowns as a sudden realization dawns on her, "Is this how you planned your attack on us?" Gowther frowns, and nods. "Unfortunately, it was. This room is probably one of our greatest advantages."

Elizabeth takes a final look around the room, trying to ignore the bitterness that wants to pour out of her and start blaming him for the atrocities done to her homeland and to her people.

Almost absentmindedly, against her better judgement, she asks, "Do _you_ want this war to happen?"

To her surprise, Gowther sighs and responds with an answer she hadn't expected to hear. "I'm afraid I don't have much of a choice for now."

He lets out a soft chuckle before adding, "Does my answer surprise you that much?"

Her eyes are wide and her mouth hanging open from the gasp she had released. "It—I—_No, _not really. Meliodas looked ready to dig me a grave when I asked something similar."

Gowther doesn't try to restrain himself from releasing a deep laugh, his arms at his hips. "My, I wonder if that's why he was so irritable the other day."

Elizabeth couldn't help the small turn of her lip, "You mean there's times when he's _not _so ill-tempered?"

He lets out one last chuckle before answering, "I quite like you, young princess. I hope we become good friends."

Gowther was gone soon after, leaving her with an apologetic smile and a quick farewell until the next time they met. Apparently, he was a very powerful sorcerer, and Elizabeth was able to see him conjure a portal and disappearing through it in their last few moments together. She gaped at the scene for a good minute afterward, bewildered by the magic.

She had long since left the room with the clocks and instead wandered around anywhere else she could. She had found many different rooms—none of them quite catching her interest well enough but when she ultimately stumbled upon a stairwell leading down, her curiosity peaked, and she was half-tempted to take the chance to follow the stairs but for some reason decided against for the time being.

Elizabeth wouldn't have guessed that she was on the upper level, the manor—or wherever she was— was indeed large, so much so that she often spent what felt like hours sifting through the many doors and rooms. So for her to find out that she had only been exploring a small area of the now even larger one, she was just a bit excited to see what else she would find. She liked to think that besides satisfying her newly-found curiosity—drawn out was the inquisitive nature that was buried deep inside her— she was also benefiting by trying to find a point of exit, some hole of weakness in this building.

* * *

Elizabeth was called to have dinner.

She ate alone in the large dining hall as she had been doing since last seeing Meliodas. They had adapted to her preferences, presenting her choices that she couldn't help but let her mouth water over. She couldn't imagine demons making meals suited for anyone besides their own kind, so she wondered where exactly they came up with the spreads. There was also the matter of _why_, but she shoves the thought out and eats regardless. She'll have to stay on her toes, and she needs energy to do so.

It was quiet in the hall, beside for the occasional noises from the servants around her, but so quiet that it began to bug her. She was starting to miss the company of another and had realized just how alone she was here.

Speaking to Gowther had been a pleasant change and she very well enjoyed his presence, she reluctantly admitted. They shared the same opinion on the topic of this looming war, and she was thrilled to find that even one demon had found the aspect undesirable. Though he had left in a hurry, she had hoped that she would get the chance to talk to him again and perhaps mention the idea of possibly aiding her in escaping this dreadful situation. He had declared the idea of becoming friends, but she would have to see if she could trust him as an ally in the end.

After eating, she was encouraged by the servants to retire back to her room.

"The young master returns soon." One of the maid's mentioned, her voice shaky. Elizabeth looks at her questionably, wondering why his return would make them so uneasy. She had only been around him twice but noticed nothing unusual in their attitude then. She decides to ask them about it.

The servants were quiet, only glancing between each other hesitantly.

_They don't want to tell you._

"Never mind, then." she smiles at them and and it takes them by surprise.

They escort her back to the room in silence and Elizabeth is unable to ignore the heavy, large knot that grows in her stomach on the way.

They offer to help prepare her for bed, and she begins to refuse as usual but they're insisting this time, an act she finds ominous. She had been refusing their aid for a while now, not letting them help dress her since her last time meeting Meliodas. They have offered, but never really pushed against her wishes.

Despite every nerve inside her screaming at her to _run, now _she feels as though her legs are filled with lead, keeping her anchored in place. Her stomach turns, her pulse roaring in her ears, and she _knows _she's breathing but she feels as if she's not getting any air. She recognizes the sick feeling, how it's haunted her most of her life.

The servants begin to undress her in front of the large mirror that stood in corner of the room, their hands cool on her hot skin. She sees herself in the mirror but wonders exactly _who _she was looking at.

_You're being prepared. _

She wishes she had taken a step down that stairway.

* * *

_Asphyxia, Cö Shu Nie._


	5. Silhouettes

Chapter Five: Silhouettes

Warning: This chapter contains a scene with attempted rape.

* * *

She had been pacing back and forth in her room for what felt like the longest now, mostly out of anxiety but also because she had nothing else to do but to simply _wait_.

The servants had finished dressing her a while ago in a sheer and much too short white nightdress that left nearly nothing to the imagination. Despite their secrecy and cautious words, the timid servants' actions prior to the moment left nothing for Elizabeth to guess and practically screamed the situation at her. It was much too obvious—their insisting on dressing her, the _way _they dressed her. Despite Elizabeth's lack of formal knowledge on the opposite sex and… intimacy, she _knew _the very basics at least. And the way she was dressed left her absolutely stunned and terrified for all that would come next.

When they were mostly done, finishing up combing her hair, Elizabeth had turned and begged the servants for _anything_ else to wear—the furious blush on her cheeks and the worry in her eyes probably making her look pitiful and pathetic. And perhaps the servants had felt sorry for her. They were a little reluctant at first, but after all her pleading they finally gave in and found her a bath robe to wear over the nightgown. They dismissed themselves by bidding her a 'good night' and she wanted to scream as they left. She's left with her destructive thoughts. Was their idea of a 'good night' really so dark and twisted? Didn't they realize that their master was about to force himself on a woman? She couldn't believe it.

So now as she paces around the room, avoiding the shiny mirror taunting her at the center of it, she feels helpless and, ultimately, _abandoned. _Soon, Meliodas would come and she would find out just how true he'd stay to the words he promised a while back when they first met. He had mentioned…_fooling _around with his _pets, _albeitbeing said in a much more _obscene_ way, but she feels it's all happening much too soon_._ His threat remained present in the back of her mind all this time, but Elizabeth had thought those words would end up falling through somehow and that she would be rescued long before then because a tiny part of her had _hoped_ and _wished _she would have been.

Elizabeth wished her mother would have found some newly rediscovered compassion for her, _something _that reassured Elizabeth of the mother she knew long ago, her sweet mother she's now come to think she must have imagined in all her grief.

She should have known, no—she _did_ knowbetter. She was just stupid for trying to fool herself into believing in her mother's twisted kindness, foolish for imagining that perhaps she would be kind enough to save her only daughter from this sort of fate that so many others before her have fallen victim to. Would her mother give her the same fate as the others? Would she even make it back to her home for her mother to be able to make that decision? Did she even _want _to go back to find out? There was no guarantee that she'd ever return to see the light of grace again when all was said and done, and she was beginning to wonder if that would be in her favor.

Elizabeth stops her pacing and feels her breath leave her when she hears noise outside her door. Her heart hammers against her ribs, the warm robe doing nothing to keep her body from trembling.

She doesn't hear anything beyond the noise, and she takes the moment of quiet as her permission to finally breathe again. She grips her head tightly with both hands, catching a few strands of hair in the process, and she tries to think of something, _anything_, to keep her mind off of the stinging tears forming in her eyes. The _waiting_ was driving her nearly mad.

Was there anything she could do, though? Was this all still divine retribution for her actions so long ago? Would the divinity of the world cause her such grief until she met her end? Elizabeth felt cursed by her mother's resentment. Her mother would abandon her here after all and still somehow make her feel like she _deserved_ all of this.

If there was one thing her mother and this destiny of hers had in common, it's that they were _determined _to see her fall apart. The world was against her, determined to make her all the more miserable before this life of hers was over. She didn't want this. She didn't want to _wait _to find out what would happen to her.

She looked towards the door and debated her current thoughts for a long minute—stay here…stay here and surrender herself to this despair and perhaps it would end easily after all this was over or—

Elizabeth shakes her head, not allowing herself to debate any further and sink into the murkiness of it all. She heads to the door and grabs the knob, twisting it as quietly as she could and opening the door slowly. She peeked out of the doorway, looking around to see if there would be anyone standing around to keep their eyes on her. When she doesn't notice anybody in the corridors, she takes a step out. She hesitates afterwards, wondering how exactly she'll get herself out of this mess.

_The manor is huge, but not forever. _

Shewalks out and closes the door behind her. She remembers where the staircase she found was and that's where she sets her temporary goal. If there was a way out, she'd find it down there. Even then, there was the matter of _what _she'd do _if _she found her way out of here. There was no telling what exactly waited for her outside of this place and she was unsure if she'd be able to handle whatever was out there, but she won't get out of this mess by being a coward.

She reaches the staircase with ease, thankfully, but stops in her tracks when she hears voices as she's making her way down. She breathes a sigh of relief when the voices fade away and she continues her trek downwards until she reaches the bottom. She peeks around the wall of the stairs to see if the corridor was clear, but it was dimly lit and there was only so much she could see from where she was. When Elizabeth hears nothing but silence, she begins to walk alongside the wall of the corridor feeling around the area to make up for her lack of vision. There were no windows on this level of the manor, and she comes across of a few doors but falters against opening them for the time being, afraid of finding demons on the other side of the door.

Just as Elizabeth begins to feel as if she's running out of options, she hears voices again but this time around the corner of another corridor. She stops and presses her back against the wall to keep herself hidden, pressing a hand over her heart because _goodness_ she feels like it will give out anytime now from beating so fast. She inhales deeply, trying to mentally prepare herself and she turns her head to look around the corner of the wall to see what all was occurring between the voices she hears.

Before Elizabeth really had the chance to listen in on their conversation, however, she feels her body being pulled against another and her mouth covered just before she could let out a cry in surprise. She tries to turn her head and see who she was caught by, but the hand on her mouth restricts most of the movement of her head. She struggles against the body, squirming around to try and write her way out of their arms. The hand against her mouth drops and then she's suddenly tossed over a shoulder. She's unable to hold back a cry this time, the sudden motion making her dizzy.

They're walking—she doesn't notice exactly when it happens, or how _quickly_, but when her head's finally stopped spinning, she realizes that they were back in her room.

"I figured you would have _tried_ to escape one of these days." A voice sounds out smooth and quiet. She freezes, a shiver going down her spine as she immediately recognizes the voice—one that she had hoped she wouldn't hear again.

In the next moment, she was thrown on her bed, another cry escaping her at the impact. She stares wide eyed at him and she swears her heart just about stopped from terror. Meliodas stands before her, his dark gaze and a wicked smirk seemingly taunting her. He steps back, turning around to walk back to the door and close it. She notices, when he shrugs his legs out of his boots, that he was wearing the same attire she first saw him in. "Decent attempt, though. You were close to making your way out."

With her eyes still wide from the dangerous setting she finds herself in, her mouth opens in an attempt to get words out, but she only manages to release a shaky sigh. She was still wired from everything and attempting to calm down as much as she could.

"The Demon Realm, however, has a perilous environment. Even as a goddess, I doubt you'd make it far before you perished." He continues.

Elizabeth sits up, ignoring the urge to shiver and stubbornly mutters, "I would have figured out something."

Meliodas smirks, walking towards her again and her heart starts to race again. "I figure I should also tell you that the Goddesses haven't retaliated yet." Meliodas says, his approach suddenly predatory as he begins to unfasten the buttons on his white coat, "It's bizarre that they would abandon their _cherished_ princess."

The words hit her hard and she freezes. She knew. She knew this already. Why does hearing the words from _him _affect her in such a way? Elizabeth bites her lip to keep from releasing the sob that was beginning the build in her chest at her thinking of how she had been deserted. She wants to retort back but there is no victory for her in this fight. She chose not to say anything and remained quiet while he taunted her.

Once again, he's standing before her at the edge of the bed and she just stares, feeling defeated. And then he's over her in an instant, having quickly pushed her back down on the bed. She panics but finds her strength lost when he speaks again, "Have you been forsaken, princess?" He taunts and proceeds to raise her arms above her head while she has her guard down and ultimately restricts her movement.

She's unable to resist, her eyes wide as his words dug through her like a knife. He restrains her with one hand, the other moving to the knot of her robe and undoing it. "Your own mother doesn't even bat an eyelash at your absence." He opens the robe to her dismay, exposing her in the nightdress. He leans back to regard her with hazy, dark eyes, never releasing his grip on her as he takes her in.

Elizabeth closes her eyes tightly to avoid his lust filled gaze and bites her lip hard enough to where she starts feeling blood trickle down her chin, trying to use the pain as a means to focus on anything else but his harsh words. She feels his cold fingers on her lips and something wet trailing down the line of blood she drew. Her eyes fly open in shock and she's unable to stop the gasp that escapes her when she watches him lick his lips. "Now she's left you here for me to indulge in."

She feels his hands start sliding down to her chin and over her chest. When his hand reaches her breast and starts to squeeze, she cries out in surprise, the sensation making her feel revolted with herself. When his hand trails further down her body and reaches the hem of the dress, he slides his hand under the fabric and rests it against her thigh before speaking again. "Don't fret," He whispers against her ear right before pressing his lips against her neck and licking at her racing pulse, "I'll deliver you in one piece right on her doorstep when I'm done."

Elizabeth's entire body stiffens, unsure of whether it was because his _repulsive _mouth was on her or because his statement felt like a final punch to her gut. She couldn't hold back the sob that she releases, everything all at once shattering her already vulnerable state of mind, the situation at hand leaving her defenseless for him to see. She trembles against him as waves of emotions crash against her—fury, sorrow, agony, hate, and disgust.

"No," she manages to cry, her voice hoarse.

He stops moving against her and lifts his head up to look down at her, "No?"

"Please." She whispers, and Meliodas releases his grip on her hands out of curiosity. She immediately moves her arms over her face to hide her shame as best as she could.

Elizabeth hated this. She hated his touch, his cruel words, how disgusted she felt with herself for being so powerless and allowing him to do this to her, but most of all she hated herself. She hated everything about herself. She hated how out of control she felt, unable to fight against some greater power that was determined to see her fall. She hated how she felt like the entire world was against her, how she felt like her life would be shrouded forever in darkness.

"I don't want to go back." She cries out to him, to anything in particular that could hear her and change this sick joke the world has played on her.

Meliodas stopped his actions as she sobs uncontrollably underneath him, an unknown amount of time having passed.

She eventually feels him lean back and she removes her arms from her face to see what he was going to do next. He doesn't move. Instead, she catches him staring down at her as she looks up with him with tear filled eyes. She notices a faint dusting of red on his cheeks and his mouth turned down in a frown, but she doesn't try to think too much of it, and she looks away, trying to avoid his obscure eyes.

Although most of her integrity had already been exposed, she feels the need to still hide herself from him, still feeling much too vulnerable and humiliated.

When she feels his weight shift off of her, she's a bit confused but relieved but the first thing she tries to do is close her robe again. She sits up from her position in the middle of the bed and attempts to put as much space between them by standing and walking away from the bed until she reaches a wall in the room. She's still trembling from the chaos of her emotions, using a hand to wipe her tears as they come but unable to keep herself from sniffling.

"What causes you to cry?" Elizabeth hears him ask from the bed as she turns her head to look at him. He hadn't moved much from before, but he was sitting on the side of the bed with his back turned to her. She doesn't understand why exactly he was asking but takes in a shaky breath before replying, "Do your victims usually not cry when you force yourself on them?"

When he doesn't say anything, she continues, "I don't exactly have fond memories of the Celestial Realm." She answers honestly, unsure of why she chooses to disclose this information to him, "I don't want exist anywhere near there."

She hears him move and sees him stand from the bed. He walks over to put his boots back on and turns to face her, she notices the buttons on his coat were fastened once again. "You were ready to die back then, weren't you?"

Elizabeth doesn't answer immediately, casting her gaze to the ground.

"I was scared at first. When I finally realized what all was happening, I thought that it was a chance to finally be free." Elizabeth finally admits, but somehow the words seemed more for her sake than as an answer for him.

When he doesn't respond, she musters up the courage to move her gaze from the ground to him. She's startled by the way he looks at her, his dark eyes regarding her sadly—the first time she notices being able to read his gaze.

"Get some rest." He whispers, quickly turning away from her eyes.

She stares after him even moments after he's left her room, unsure of herself and how to feel after he gives her a look like _that. _But she's _exhausted_, emotionally and physically. Her eyes were heavy from her crying, her muscles aching—her whole body felt just _awful_. She decides to listen to his advice and make her way back to the bed.

Rest sounded like a sweet dream right now.

* * *

_Silhouettes, Of Monsters and Men_

* * *

This chapter was super, duper late and I apologize. I took a little mental health break last week, and since then I was just kind of putting off writing this chapter. I knew what I wanted to write, but it's hard for me to write scenes like this and it probably shows, maybe feeling a little rushed even. The updated rating obviously reflects on the writing in this chapter. I hope you all are enjoying the story, though! There is finally a small development between the two and it will be growing with each new chapter. :)


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